Diocesan News27 Jun 11

Church on a boat initiative charts new waters (Down & Dromore)

The Dock Church initiative entered new waters on Friday 24th June with the launch of the Business Plan at an event attended by influential figures from the worlds of politics, business and church. The venue for the presentation and dinner was the Abercorn Suite at Titanic Quarter Limited Headquarters (the old Harland and Wolff Drawing Offices).

Bishop Harold Miller, Naomi Long (MP for Belfast East) Revd Chris Bennett and Chris Lyttle (MLA East Belfast) attending the launch.

The Drawing Offices have seen the creation of many ambitious projects in their time - not least the Olympic Class liners - and The Dock is the latest visionary project to be launched there.  Revd Chris Bennett, who was commissioned as Chaplain to The Titanic Quarter in November 2009 by Rt Revd Harold Miller, Bishop of Down and Dromore, shared the Dock vision with the assembled guests.

"Where once we built ships, today we build communities," began Chris. "The emerging Titanic Quarter provides a 'blank page' - a chance for a new area of Belfast to try building a new type of community - and a new model of church."  He went on to explain the purpose of the Dock which is to provide a shared space, achieved through the permanent mooring of a boat within the Titanic Quarter area, on which a 'Shared Future' expression of church may be based.

The boat will provide the shared space - the 'chaplaincy sofa' - where students, businesses, residents and tourists in the area will be able to connect and chat with Chaplains from different denominations and backgrounds. The Chaplains' role will be to 'put the kettle on' - to enable the growth of genuine community by providing and energising a place where people can meet their neighbours, become more than nodding acquaintances, and truly feel part of the Titanic Quarter community.  And, as the Business Plan outlines, the project aims to be a commercial venture, supporting its ongoing costs through a social economy cafe-style business.

The Dock Ltd Board of Directors has a breadth of professional experience and denominational background, as does the Board of Management which will be responsible for the regular operation of The Dock. "The company genuinely is the 'Shared Medley' that we’ve been hoping and praying towards from the start," says Chris.

It’s this company that can now start fundraising for The Dock Boat and the launch of the Business Plan also sees the launch of the process to track down a suitable vessel - riverboats, restaurant barges and old clipper ships are all under consideration.  

This boat might be standing still," said Chris, "but it is a journey into new and exciting waters for all of us."

Learn more about The Dock on their website here.